So much for my career in academia…

Today is the final day students can register for classes. I get email.*

I did not attend the second class and was supposed to be dropped automatically due to the second day rule, but I have to officially drop the course with your signature. When are you on campus today?

This student is gently reminded that I told the class on the first day that the second day rule is not automatic, informed that I will not be on campus today and directed to the composition office. I get more email:

I was wondering if there was any room in your 39B class from 9:30-10:50 a.m. I’ve been trying to get into a class and it seems like they’re completely full!

This student is politely informed that I only allow two unexcused absences per quarter, and that because my class has already met four times, it would be impossible for her to earn a passing grade. I get even more email:

i need to add ur class wheres ur office so u can sign my add card

This student is also informed that I only allow two unexcused absences per quarter, and that because my class has already met four times, it would be impossible for him to earn a passing grade. He responds:

i can get excuses

I want to inform him that I’m not sure how he can be absent in a course in which he isn’t enrolled, but fear the inevitable literalism of his reply. ("i wuznt there but have doctors note") So I tell him that I only allow four total absences because that amounts to twenty percent of the entire course, and a student who misses twenty percent of a course cannot earn a passing grade. He responds:

i make up the work r u in ur office now

I turn off the computer and re-read the material I’m teaching next week. He responds:

wheres ur office to sign my card

I compose study questions for my students. The computer is still off. He responds:

need to no where ur office is to sign card soon

I eat lunch. He responds:

fine i dont hear from u soon u reget it

I consider responding to ask what I’ll get again, but needn’t have bothered.

He sent me a link. (Someone flagged the comment and it’s been removed. What it said, and I quote, was: “even if u say u do the work he says he fails u for abscences”. Yes, I punctuated like a Brit on purpose there.

This is officially an award-winning blog

HNN, Best group blog: "Witty and insightful, the Edge of the American West puts the group in group blog, with frequent contributions from an irreverent band.... Always entertaining, often enlightening, the blog features snazzy visuals—graphs, photos, videos—and zippy writing...."

Well, that and just getting the classes necessary to graduate requires cunning, guile, and an ability to play a con against the con worthy of The Sting. You don’t want to fuck it up being being all entitled-y.

It’s awesome, Ari. They work their butts off. Now, they miss a *lot* of class, because their lives are a lot more complicated (in some cases) and because they just haven’t learned good academic habits (in others). This semester at least, the latter group has responded pretty well to my telling them that look, it’s near time for me to file reports on students who might fail, so they need to start showing up and turning in their work–they’re doing both. And the former group are very apologetic about things that just break my heart for them–being pulled three ways from sunday by social service agencies that are supposed to be helping them but really just seem to be making it really fucking hard for them to get the education that’ll improve their situations. Gah.

I have to say, as someone who remembers well what being a student was like, these kinds of posts rub me the wrong way. I often hear sentiments like this from professors. Usually, they revolve around annoyance at students for not remembering something which was said in class.

As a student, and particularly as a first-year, I remember being lost in a bureaucratic maze, which was full of confusing and often conflicting information and misinformation. The misinformation often came from other students, but it certainly came from professors and administrators as well.

And every attempt to straighten out a snag or fix a schedule was met with an attitude of “how can you not know this?”

So I’m sorry you had to repeat yourself. But things which are obvious to you may not be obvious to everyone, even if you did mention it in class.

Looking at my comment from last night, I realize it’s a little unfair. Everyone needs the chance to vent about their job.

I’ve been on the other end of a similar sense of annoyance from by company’s HR person as I try to get by health insurance to cover by eyes. I still think that what’s described in the above post is people being people. But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be annoyed by them. So complain away!

I think it’s less that the students are *asking* than the tone with which they’re doing so. It’s fine not to know everything, or to need information repeated. It’s not fine when you don’t say “please.”

Larry, if that was your comment about the kidney transplants, it was pure brilliance. Unfortunately, somebody—I wager the kid—flagged it. Ashame, that, as it was damn funny.

Henry, since you left that second comment, I’ll put the big guns away, but I will re-emphasize what Dr. B. said in response to this:

Usually, they revolve around annoyance at students for not remembering something which was said in class.

It’s one thing if students forget some little fact or something, but on the first day of class, I do the syllabus drill—and make fun of myself and my syllabus while I’m doing it, so as to emphasize certain points like “the registrar won’t know whether you show up to class on the second day or not, so if you don’t show up, you need to get a drop card and inform them—and I say this knowing that one of you—might be you, or that guy there—one of you will send me urgent emails the last drop-day asking why you’re still in my class.” The class laughs, and 99 percent of the students remember this—and one doesn’t. (I should add that my kids know I blog and I know they have and can read my blog, so I’m careful not to say anything on it I wouldn’t say in class.) (Except for the political stuff, which doesn’t belong in the classroom.)

If you’re just polite and apologetic and show up in person to make the request, you can do all of these things that students are complaining about not doing. I’m pretty sure that I added classes in the second or third week. I also made up a senior physics test that I had slept through.

The idea that people have to show up for classes is odd, though. I skipped 90% of my classes until senior year. In science and math classes, all that they do is read from the textbook anyways.